13th Dec 2007, 01:32

This comment is for all car owners out there. One of the best investments you can make in owning cars is to go down to AutoZone and buy an Actron CP9125 OBDII scanner. This simple little device will tell you what the check engine light is showing for. Cost of sensor: $70. Time to scan: 5 minutes. Cost of Crankshaft PS: $95. Time to install yourself: Take your time, it's Sunday.

29th Aug 2009, 15:25

The fact that it took the guys at your garage over 10 hours to find this issue, suggests to me that they are not specialized in diagnosing electrical problems. Not all auto technicians are created equal. Is your tech certified?

My husband has been an auto tech. for 26 years and is constantly having to find problems, such as this one, after the car has been out of service and has made the rounds of many other local shops. In our community, even the dealers send their problem cars to my husbands shop, as they have an excellent reputation for finding unusual problems.

One person had been unable to use their car for almost a year before it ended up at his shop, and 2 days later (parts needed to be ordered) the car was back on the road.

Don't be afraid to ask for accreditation, it's your car, and it's your money. Learn to spend it wisely.

2003 Suzuki Aerio 2.0 from North America

Summary:

Faults:

The car never had any major problems. Small things were a little annoying, such as squeaking belt, unevenly worn brakepads, interior fabric seemed a little cheapish (used seat covers though).

General Comments:

The first thing we liked about the car was that you sit a little higher than in an average small car. Performance was adequate. Cabin noise is a little too loud... both road and engine noise is very noticeable. It is very roomy for it's size and has a nice trunk. Gasmileage could be better... I don't know why it gets at least 5-6 less miles per gallon than a Corolla or Civic. I would not hesitate to buy another one if the noise level and fuel consumption could be fixed. It is not quite up to it's competitors standard (Corolla, Civic, Mazda etc).

General Comments:

Thus far, the Aerio is a good vehicle. My wife likes it and it handles snow well. The gas mileage is decent and the power, while not outstanding, is adequate. The car will not shift into high gear until it warms up and the engine temp light goes out. This can be annoying as I am sometimes already to the freeway and it is still not ready.

Visibility is a concern as the center beam is located in a poor position for an average sized male. Shoulder checking is made difficult and I have banged my head off the top of the window frame on several ocasions (5'10")

The heater is decent and provides lots of BTUs.

The Aerio is a decently priced AWD alternative to Subaru, but the overall finishing is somewhat concerning.

22nd Jul 2013, 13:34

I was rear ended by a guy who was doing about 60km/hr when he drove into the back of me with an old Ford Festiva (I was doing about 30-40km/hr, as we had just entered a construction zone).

Aside from the rear bumper being smacked in a bit and the plastic damage, I was fine. My car drove away - the other guy crushed his front end, blew his radiator, and went to the hospital.

Since the accident I have replaced one rear wheel bearing and I'm probably looking at replacing the other one now. Not sure if this was a result of the accident (the noise appeared two days after it was rear ended), but my insurance company would not cover it.